Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [254]
The oldest of the present buildings date back to the 17th century. The two-storey San-mon, a Buddhist temple gate at the main entrance, is the largest temple gate in Japan and prepares you for the massive scale of the temple. The immense main hall contains an image of Hōnen. It’s connected to another hall, the Dai Hōjō, by a ‘nightingale’ floor (that sings and squeaks at every move, making it difficult for intruders to move about quietly).
Up a flight of steps southeast of the main hall is the temple’s giant bell, which was cast in 1633 and weighs 74 tonnes. It is the largest bell in Japan. The combined muscle-power of 17 monks is needed to make the bell ring for the famous ceremony that heralds the new year.
The temple is close to the northeastern corner of Maruyama-kōen. From Kyoto Station take bus 206 and get off at the Chion-in-mae stop, or walk up (east) from Gion Shijō Station on the Keihan line.
SHŌREN-IN
This temple (Map; 561-2345; Sanjōbō-chō, Awataguchi, Higashiyama-ku; admission ¥500; 9am-5pm) is hard to miss, with the giant camphor trees growing just outside its walls. Shōren-in was originally the residence of the chief abbot of the Tendai school of Buddhism. The present building dates from 1895, but the main hall has sliding screens with paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. Often overlooked by the crowds that descend on other Higashiyama temples, this is a pleasant place to sit and think while gazing out over the beautiful gardens.
The temple is a five-minute walk north of Chion-in (opposite).
Northern Higashiyama
This area at the base of the Higashiyama mountains is one of the city’s richest areas for sightseeing. It includes such first-rate attractions as Ginkaku-ji, Hōnen-in, Shūgaku-in Rikyū, Shisen-dō and Manshu-in. You can spend a wonderful day walking from Keage Station on the Tōzai subway line all the way north to Ginkaku-ji via the Tetsugaku-no-Michi (the Path of Philosophy), stopping in the countless temples and shrines en route. Sights further north should be tackled separately, as they are a little harder to reach.
NANZEN-JI
This is one of our favourite temples (Map; 771-0365; http://nanzenji.com/english/index.html; Fukuchi-chō, Nanzen-ji, Sakyō-ku; admission to grounds/Hōjō garden/San-mon gate free/¥500/300; 8.40am-5pm Mar-Nov, to 4.30pm Dec-Feb) in Kyoto, with its expansive grounds and numerous subtemples. It began as a retirement villa for Emperor Kameyama but was dedicated as a Zen temple on his death in 1291. Civil war in the 15th century destroyed most of the temple; the present buildings date from the 17th century. It operates now as headquarters for the Rinzai school of Zen.
At its entrance stands the massive San-mon. Steps lead up to the 2nd storey, which has a fine view over the city. Beyond the gate is the main hall of the temple, above which you will find the Hōjō, where the Leaping Tiger Garden is a classic Zen garden well worth a look. (Try to ignore the annoying taped explanation of the garden.) While you’re in the Hōjō, you can enjoy a cup of tea while gazing at a small waterfall (¥400, ask at the reception desk of the Hōjō).
Dotted around the grounds of Nanzen-ji are several subtemples that are often skipped by the crowds.
To get to Nanzen-ji from JR Kyoto or Keihan Sanjō Station, take bus 5 and get off at the Nanzen-ji Eikan-dō-michi stop. You can also take the Tōzai subway line from the city centre to Keage and walk for five minutes downhill. Turn right (east, towards the mountains) opposite the police box and walk slightly uphill and you will arrive at the main gate of the temple.
Nanzen-ji Oku-no-in
Perhaps the best part of Nanzen-ji is overlooked by most visitors: Oku-no-in (Map; admission free; dawn-dusk), a small shrine-temple hidden in a forested hollow behind the main precinct. To get there, walk up to the red-brick aqueduct in front of the subtemple of Nanzen-in. Follow the road that runs parallel to the aqueduct up into the hills, past several brightly coloured torii, until you reach a waterfall